A matter of Mind
by jidashia
Summary: When Danny is being called for by Clockwork, he of course responds immediately to the summons, prepared for the worst to happen - or so he thought. But how could he ever have predicted the situation he would actually find himself in? (Alternative title: V-Man more like V-Boy!)
1. Prologue

_**Note:**_  
 _ **Please just imagine Clockwork's formshifting for yourselves, cause I am far too lazy to describe it every two lines, since it holds no significance to the plot...**_

* * *

„Clockwork? Are you there? Hello~o?"  
Danny flew through the corridor's of Clockwork's abode, frantically looking for said ghost.  
It was very rare that the Master of Time actually called for him, so he knew something of importance must have happened, and the fact that he had thought up a million different scenarios – none of them good ones – on his way here had done nothing to put him at ease.

So it came as a tremendous relief to him when he entered the great hall he usually met Clockwork at and saw him floating in front of one of his time-looking-screen-things, looking pensive, but not exactly worried.

„Oh, hey dude, here you are. What's the matter? It's not..."  
He swallowed hard, but then continued, „This is not about Dan...is it?"  
As Danny approached him, whatever Clockwork had been looking at disappeared and the ghost turned his attention towards the boy.  
„Hello, Daniel. To right away dispel your worries: No, this is not about Dan. He is still trapped and will remain so for the time being."

Hearing that made Danny sigh in relief as he came to a halt in front of Clockwork, curiously looking up at him.  
„Well, then, what is it? Don't you usually prefer to, like, not get involved in anything? Why call for me?"

At this, Clockwork frowned slightly for a moment, before his face returned to its usual neutral expression.  
„You are right, of course, I do not wish to interfere with the time stream if it can be avoided. And I am not going to. I simply wish to ask a favour of you...  
Come, walk with me."  
With that he started to lead Danny out of the hall and through a number of corridors.

As they passed one massive and important-looking door after another, the boy tried to get his hands on a little more information.  
„ _You_ are asking _me_ for a favour? Wow, things must be really tough right now. Usually it's the other way around, you know. So, you want me to beat someone up or something?" He grinned and made a boxing motion.

A smile crept on Clockwork's face.  
„Yes. Your parents do have a spare bedroom, don't they?"  
But of course, this question was purely rhetorical. Danny was aware of the fact that Clockwork would already know what he needed for whatever his plan was to work, and so he did not answer as they turned around a corner and this time actually went through one of the giant doors, which, to the boy, looked exactly like any other.  
They entered a small room which was sparsely furnished and looked like it was simply a kind of lounge area for whatever was on the other side of the door opposite from the one they had just come through.

They walked towards it, but instead of opening it, Clockwork stopped and looked at Danny.  
„What I would like to ask of you is to convince your parents to leave that room to someone. That person would live with you and also attend the same school. All precautions will be taken care of and a rent would be paid as well."

Danny frowned confused.  
„So, like, a tenant? Wait, you mean they are human? Why would you need me to house a human? Can't they just rent somewhere else?"

„I am afraid not. You see, that person has a connection to the spirit world, just like yourself, and they are currently in need for a place to hide. A place, that can be protected from ghosts."

„What? Someone with a connection to ghosts, who also must be around my age? That...sounds pretty good, to be honest, although itis pretty hard to believe. I guess there wouldn't be a problem with this. Uh...What kind of person are they, exactly?"

„You know him, actually. Which, sadly, is why there might be a problem after all."  
The look on Danny's face made it apparent that he was completely lost with this not-really-explanation, but before he could say anything else, Clockwork just said: „You will understand once you see for yourself", and finally turned the handle on the door.

Danny entered what looked like a bedroom, which briefly made him wonder why a ghost that never slept might need something like this, but he quickly turned his attention to the young man standing in the middle of it, facing towards them, arms crossed.  
It took Danny a moment to comprehend what exactly it was about this young man, that seemed so oddly familiar to him – the long white hair, the suit, the haughty look – but when realization finally hit, it hit hard.  
„What the- Vlad Masters!?"

* * *

 _ **Would you look at that, what a nice moment to end this chapter on. As usual, criticism is welcome.**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Hoo boy, welcome back everyone! I was surprised to see there actually seems to be a slight interest in this story.**_  
 _ **I haven't exactly come up with much yet, so...I guess I'll just make it up as I go and see where it takes me. Thank you to the people who commented so far...**_  
 _ **And now, back to where we left off...**_

* * *

„What the- Vlad Masters!?"  
Danny was too overwhelmed to form any coherent sentences, his mouth wordlessly opening and closing a few times, while he gaped at the person in front of him.  
There was no way this man, no, this boy, in front of him could actually be Vlad Masters and yet - and yet it had to be.  
The resemblence was too uncanny to allow for any other conclusion, especially since Vlad was the only person other than himself Danny knew, who had a connection to ghosts.  
The other just silently stared back at him with cold eyes and scoffed - yeah, that was Vlad alright.  
So that left one other question.

„But... Wha- ...He. I mean..."  
Danny started to gesture wildly, trying to come up with a good way to phrase his inquiry, making confused noises, until he finally settled for pointing both his arms at Vlad and waving them up and down while looking at Clockwork.  
„How?"

Clockwork looked at him with what might have been amusement, but even if it wasn't it still made Danny feel quite foolish.  
„I am afraid I cannot tell you what exactly was the cause for this predicament, but this is indeed Vlad Masters. And he needs your help, Daniel, for he cannot overcome this alone."  
The boy turned to look at Vlad again, who at the moment looked as though he had been asked to eat dirt. Which was okay, because Danny himself was similarly thrilled at the idea.  
In fact, now he was over his initial shock, he was feeling very angry.

„That's a joke, right? You expect me to help Vlad? After everything he did to my family? To my friends? To _me_? No way! Whatever he's gotten himself into this time, he'll have to find a way out on his own."  
With that he turned around to leave. He was almost out of the door, when he heard Clockwork speak once more.  
„Daniel, as I said before, I'm asking you to do this. I am not going to force you to. We all know you have every right to dislike him. But do you really wish for his death?"

This made Danny stop in his tracks.  
He despised Vlad and did not want to have anything to do with him whatsoever, but could he turn him away when matters appeared to be this serious? Did he want the man to actually die?  
He turned around to unhappily look at Clockwork again.  
„If this is so important, why don't you hide him then? Yiu already went to all that trouble to turn him into a teenager and it looks like you could have guests over, so why not just keep him here? Or have him stay in his own house, as far as I know it's just as ghost-proof as my parent's"

Clockwork simply shook his head.  
„I was not the one who made him look like this, nor can I reverse it. And he cannot stay in the Ghost Zone or his own home, since these are the places anyone would look for him first."  
Vlad, who in the meantime had wandered over to lean against the wall like the conversation didn't concern him at all, pointedly looked anywhere but in Danny's general direction.

„Wait, if this wasn't you, then who-?", Danny started, but got cut off by the Time Master's stern voice.  
„I already told you, I cannot tell you what led to this outcome. I need to know if you are willing to help. Ironic as this might sound, we do not have much time right now. Rest assured I would not have asked for your help if I could have thought of a better solution."  
Danny had problems thinking straight, with so many conflicting feelings welling up inside him, but he also had seldomly seen Clockwork be this tense, which was probably what led him to make the decision he did.

„Okay, I'm so gonna regret this, but...", he walked towards Vlad and only stopped when he was practically right in front of his face, „..listen. You can stay, but there are gonna be rules, and there are gonna be lots of them and they won't be up for debate. You either accept them or you're out. Do you understand?"  
Vlad finally looked at him, defiantly but there was also another look in his eyes, one Danny had never seen on him before and could not quite place. At first the older hybrid looked like he wanted to say something, but apparently he thought better of it, because in the end he kept silent and just nodded.  
Satisfied for the moment, Danny turned to Clockwork again.  
„So...What's the plan?"

* * *

 **Here, have this for now.**  
 **I'll probably have to come back one of these days to alter some stuff in here cause it's way too late and I should've been in bed hours ago.**  
 **Tell me what you think of this, since attention in form of comments is what I live for.**  
 **Ta~**


	3. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys. So, here's the deal: I'll try to update this once every 10 days (instead of every 5 or so) but I'll make the chapters longer than the first two from now on. Ok? Ok. That's settled then. Have fun, and tell me what you think.**_

* * *

They had quickly discussed their course of action and decided that first, with Clockwork's help they would head over to Vlad's estate, so the man could grab some important things, put the whole thing on lockdown or whatever, and handle his affairs.

Danny didn't exactly know nor care much for specifics, but Vlad kept shoving things in a bag while quietly talking on the phone to someone called Stephanie, who was apparently supposed to take care of his companies and home in his absence.  
He was still short on words, which still struck Danny as odd. Usually, the guy just seemed to love the tone of his own voice, but today...

The only time today he'd said more than a few words to the boy was when they'd had an argument about whether or not Vlad could bring his cat (he couldn't), but even then he had given in much sooner than expected.

And finally, after he had been observing the older hybrid for a while, it began to dawn on Danny what was so weird about Vlad.  
He realized it wasn't just the change in the man's appearance that made this situation so strange for himself.  
No, even if Vlad tried to conceal it with his usual arrogance, the signs were all there: the silence, the glances over his shoulder every few seconds, the willingness to comply with somebody else's demands.  
Vlad was terrified.

If Danny had felt uneasy before, this thought just made it even worse.  
Sure, he'd reckoned the enemy had to be strong to change someone's body like this and force his own nemesis into hiding, but somehow actually _knowing_ that Vlad wasn't just inconvenienced by this made the situation seem a lot more...real. And a lot more dangerous.  
He was already regretting to have ever agreed to this and he really wanted to leave now.  
If only the guy would hurry up.

As if he'd read his thoughts, Vlad chose this moment to thrust a kind of duffel bag in his arm, carrying another one himself.  
„If you're done staring holes into space, we can leave"

Danny looked at him annoyed but chose not to comment as they stepped through Clockwork's portal, back into the spirit's lair.

The Master of Time began opening up another portal right away, which would lead them to Danny's home, before he turned to Vlad.  
„Remember, as long as you remain in human form you should be safe from detection."  
When Vlad nodded tensely, Clockwork stepped back to let them walk through.  
„I've already done more than I should have. From now on, you're on your own."  
With that, the two hybrids stepped through the portal.

.  
.

„What the-" Danny blinked against the bright light, as he glanced at his surroundings.  
That definitely wasn't his house. That was barely even his neighbourhood.  
At least it was his town. Probably. It did look familiar.  
Had Clockwork made a mistake? He doubted that, which would mean that he had stranded them here on purpose. But why?  
He groaned. He didn't want them to talk, did he? Definitely not how Danny had wanted to spend his day. But whatever, might as well use this opportunity.  
„Let's get walking. The sooner I can stop carrying your stuff around the better. And while we're at it, we're gonna talk about those rules I mentioned earlier."

He did not wait to see if Vlad followed him as he started to move, and just kept talking.  
„Okay, so: No evil plotting in my home. No flirting with my mom. No being rude to my dad." He ignored Vlad's scoff.  
„No being rude to my friends. Just don't be rude in general, as hard as that might be for you. Don't say weird stuff. Do not temper with my parents' inventions. Do not talk to anyone about my secret. Oh, and of coure, don't go Ghost." He turned around to face Vlad.  
„Got this?"

Vlad sneered and crossed his arms.  
„You might have to put that down in writing, otherwise I could forget something." But when he saw Danny's unamused expression, he sighed annoyedly and rolled his eyes.  
„Alright, yes, I 'got this', as you say. No need to get worked up over nothing. There may be no love lost between the two of us, but I am not planning on being ungrateful, you know."  
Danny eyed hm with suspicion.  
„Yeah, I kinda doubt that. But whatever, just know that I _will_ toss your ass out on the street if you pull any of your crap."

They continued walking down the street, but Danny could not really stand the silence for too long and he figured that if he had to live with Vlad for a while now, he might as well try to be...well, maybe not nice, but at least not hostile either.

„...So...Vlad...", he hesitated, but continued when the other threw him a glance from the side to signal that he was listening, „...I've been wondering. Are you actually a teenager now? Or do you just, like, look like one?"  
He curiously looked at Vlad, who continued walking silently.

He had almost given up and started thinking about complaining for not getting an answer, when the older hybrid finally replied:  
„I'm not _actually_ a minor, no. I just happen to be currently stuck with the physiology of one. My mind is still the same. An adult brain stuck in a child's body."  
He frowned unhappily, but Danny snorted.

„Yeah, figured as much. Not even your teenage self would have already had such a stick up his arse. Plus, explains why your hair isn't black again."  
Vlad just glared at the pavement and didn't respond.

It was when only a few more streets separated them from their destination, that a shop window caught Danny's eye and gave him an idea.  
„You know, Vlad, you might look younger now, but there is definitely still a resemblance. People _our_ age definitely don't wear their hair like that, and my parents aren't stupid..."  
He would have sworn that he could actually _see_ Vlad fighting with himself in order to not make a comment on that. Hilarious. This might actually be fun.

Especially that next part.  
„What are you trying to say, Daniel?"

„I'm saying...", he shoved Vlad toward the door of the shop he had had his eye on, „that you need a haircut. And I'll be choosing for you..."  
The look on the other's face was priceless, Danny had difficulty keeping himself from laughing out loud.  
Vlad had gone pale and seemed to internally debate whether it might be a better idea to just surrender himself to whatever entity was chasing him if that meant he could avoid this situation.  
But in the end, he had to choose, and they both knew it wasn't actually much of a choice.  
Well, then. A haircut it was. Oh boy.  
.

.

.

Half an hour later, the door to the barber shop opened again and Danny looked up from his mobile. After showing the hairdresser the look he'd chosen for Vlad, he'd gone outside and taken the time to call his parents, to tell them they'd have a visitor over and ask them about renting out the room.  
„So how'd it-" He stopped.

Vlad looked haunted, like he had witnessed a murder happening in front of his eyes. Or maybe something worse, since Danny wouldn't completely rule it out that the guy had killed someone before, possibly.  
But that wasn't what had made him stop, but rather the fact, that, while he had kind of chosen this particular haircut (a sidecut) to make it hurt as much as possible for Vlad – and let's be real, he deserved it and it was only hair anyways – the plan gloriously backfired.  
It suited Vlad. It suited him very well.  
While even Danny had to admit that the man hadn't necessarily been unattractive before, exchanging his boring hairstyle for a more popular one definitely made him look a lot better.  
The people at school would be all over him. Damn.

Vlad noticed him staring and winced a bit.  
„Is it that bad?", he whispered, which made Danny lighten up again.  
„Don't worry, you look cool. Nothing like Vlad Masters, in fact." He grinned at him.  
„Now, let's go and meet my parents."

* * *

 _ **Stephanie is a nod to the Danny Phantom fanfic on this site by pearl84 called "Checkmate". She won't actually ever appear in my story but I ship it hard. Go read that story, it's great.**_

 _ **Haircut inspired by a comic by tumblr user fruitloopghost (image/149576406086).**_  
 _ **it just looks so good i couldn't resist. Now imagine this, but on a young Vlad. (Oh no, he's hot)**_

 _ **Alright, that's it from me for now. Comments always appreciated.**_  
 _ **Feel free to point out mistakes, since I don't have a beta-reader (and I don't proofread my stories before publishing them, tbh. Sorry...).**_  
 _ **Taaa~**_


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry for turning up late to my own fic. (Actually a pretty good metaphor for my life). Generic excuse at the end of the chapter for those interested. Have fun.**  
 **And remember: There is a special kind of miracles reserved for people leaving comments under fanfictions~**

* * *

The rest of the way they walked in silence, with Vlad looking at his reflection in every window they passed with a pained expression on his face, which in return improved Danny's own mood immensely.  
He was already starting to think up more ways of getting some fun out of this arrangement.  
It was only when they already stood in front of the Fentons' house that Danny turned around to adress Vlad again.

„Okay, so I talked to my parents on the phone earlier and already told them we're coming. They know you're looking for a place to stay. So, before we go in: what is your name and how do we know each other?"

Apparently Vlad had already given this some thought, because when he tore his gaze away from his reflection in the car window next to them, he replied wihout hesitation:  
„My name is Viktor. We met through a mutual friend and kept in contact due to our shared interest in space. Since I'm from another state we didn't have a chance to meet up again, but now I took up an internship here in town and will go to school with you for a while." Danny furrowed his brow.

„Sounds...fair enough, I guess? Wait, 'our shared interest in space'?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow.  
„You have expressed interest in becoming an astronaut in the past, haven't you?"

„Yes. The question is, how do you know about that?" He glared at him.  
„Actually, never mind, I really don't wanna know. Creepy."

Vlad didn't respond and so Danny just marched up to the door.  
„Remember the list," he hissed as he turned the key in the lock to let them inside.

They found Maddie and Jack talking in the kitchen, with the former leaning against the counter, a cup of tea in her hands, and the latter leaning the table, over which several blueprints were spread, talking enthusiastically about – well, whatever it was they were talking about. Vlad's body visibly tensed.

„So, you see, Maddie, if we just remove this part here, and replace it with the one I got out of the other gun, we won't have to build a new one and might even improve the range!"

„But Jack, you haven't thought about- oh, hello Daniel." Maddie was the first to notice their visitors standing in the doorway and shifted her attention towards them.  
„This must be the young man you told us about on the phone. It's nice to meet you."

She had put her cup down and walked towards them with her hand outstretched and Jack got up to greet them as well.  
When Vlad made no move to take the offered hand, though, Danny stabbed him in the side with his elbow, and threw him a warning glare.  
For a moment he thought Vlad would still not comply, but then the man visibly unclenched his jaw and put on a big, friendly smile while giving Maddie a firm handshake. Danny was actually impressed by how genuine his expression of friendliness looked.

„I am delighted to make your acquaintance, as well, Mrs Fenton. My name is Viktor and I am really grateful for your hospitality. And of course I will be making sure to fully compensate you for all your efforts."  
Maddie smiled back at him.

„Don't worry, it really is no trouble at all for us. I mean, we weren't using this room for anything, so might as well give it to someone who actually needs it. Right, Jack?"

„Right you are, Maddie. Any friend of Danny is always welcome at our home. Even if it is one we have never heard anything about before..." Jack, who had come up behind Maddie grabbed „Viktor's" hand and subjected it to a bone-crushing squeze as he said this, becoming slightly more pensive towards the end of the sentence, but he soon discarded the thought again, and was back to his usual beaming face.  
„Nice haircut, by the way. Very 'fresh', as you young people would say."

Vlad had trouble keeping his disgust out of his voice, and his „Thank you very much, Mr. Fenton" came out a bit strained, but Danny's parents did not notice.

„So that's settled then? He can stay with us?", Danny asked his mother, surprised at how well this was going.  
„Of course, darling. We couldn't turn away a young man in need, now, could we. But we'll have to work the details out later, your father and I really need to finish this little project.  
You two just go on upstairs and Viktor can go make himself at home." She pointed at the bags the two of them were carrying.  
„We moved the guest bed from the storage to the room and we dusted off the wardrobe that was already in there, so you can get settled for now. Jasmine is upstairs as well, if you need anything."

Danny gave her a quick hug. „Thanks mum, you're the best."  
Then he shoved Vlad, who was currently holding the hand he had somehow gotten back from Jack close to his chest, out of the room and towards the stairs...

As it turned out, Danny's parents had tried to make their guest feel at home as much as they could, since the door sported a brand-new sign saying „This room belongs to _. Adult-free Zone!" in what was obviously Jack's handwriting. He had left a blank where the name was supposed to be filled in and the sign perfectly matched the identical ones on Danny's and Jazz's own doors.

„Oh look," Danny said grumpily, „seems like they're already preparing to adopt you in case they have to. Great."  
He opened the door and put the bag he was carrying on the bed. Vlad did the same with his.  
The room was not very big, and empty aside from the bed and the wardrobe Maddie had mentioned earlier.  
It also looked kind of depressing in Danny's opinion, with its one small window and stark white walls.  
But it was definitely enough for someone like the fruitloop.  
Speaking of which...

„You know, judging by your performance downstairs you should have become an actor instead of an evil ghost scientist. Then we probably wouldn't be in this mess to begin with."  
Vlad looked unimpressed, as he answered: „Yes, but I probably also would not be rich, so where would the fun be in that?"  
He turned around to inspect the wardrobe, as he continued,  
„Aside from the fact that I would not be a ghost at all if it weren't for your father's incompetence, but I am sure you already are aware of this fact..."

Danny really wanted to get angry at blast the guy through a wall for all his ungratefulness and attitude and just because he hated his guts in general, but he forced himself to stay calm.

„Listen, cheesehead, nobody forces you to stay. This is an offer and it's a damn generous one, so if you choose to take it, which, by the way, you already did, you gotta stick to the rules or the deal's off, and I'm not telling you again. This is your last warning, so just behave and maybe keep your nasty thoughts to yourself. In fact, I think I'm gonna put this on the list as well and make it an official rule."

Vlad had turned around at the insult and already taken a breath for an angry retort, right index finger raised in the air, but Danny cut him right off, not allowing for any debate on that matter.  
„Back to your acting skills. You might have successfully fooled my parents, but if you want this to really work you gotta work on your language. They way it is you won't last a day without people being suspicious."

Vlad glowered at him, crossing his arms, eyebrow twitching in annoyance.  
„And what in the blazes is supposed to be wrong with the way I talk, hmm? I have years of experience when it comes to speaking in public and I am fairly certain that I am much more qualified to determine what proper language is than you are."

How could someone who was supposed to be so clever be so stupid when it came to himself?  
Danny was pretty sure that simply subjecting anyyone to one day's worth of listening to Vlad's illusions of grandeur would immediately cure them from their own exaggerated opinions of themselves.  
„Look, man, that's exactly the problem. Your way of talking is too proper. You're supposed to be a teenager now, we don't talk like that. Heck, even most adults don't talk like that."

„What, you mean to tell me you want me to use- slang?"  
Vlad spat the word out more than saying it. And had he gotten a bit paler?  
First the haircut, now this. If Danny gave him any more bad news he might just faint. Although that could also be due to a loss of sleep. He did look tired, but since mild irritation was basically the guy's natural state of being, who could ever tell for sure?

Danny opted for a nicer answer this time and held up a hand placatingly:  
„Well, we don't have to go that far just yet. Just try using words that actually belong into this century and keep your sentences a tad shorter and you'll be good to go, I guess.

„Ugh, I just don't-"  
But whatever Vlad was going to say, he was, once again, interrupted, this time by a gentle knock on the still open door, accompanied by a cheerful  
„Hey, sorry to interrupt. I heard your voices so I thought I'd come to see the guy who'd be living with us from now on. I'm Jazz, by the way. Danny's sister." 

* * *

S **o... I said I would update regularly - and then vanished. What's up with that?**

 **I seriously don't know, to be honest, December was just very busy.  
Apart from that, I've had the start of this chapter sitting in drafts for a few weeks now, but I kept procrastinating because I find Danny's parents kinda hard to get right, especially Jack. Plus, the peeps who got me all fired up for writing this are suddenly only talking about Lazy Town anymore, so poor Vladdie doesn't get much attention at the moment. **

**Cookies for everyone who immediately guessed I wrote the start of this chapter on a wednesday evening, directly after watching an episode of Yuri on Ice. Yes, I just named him Viktor because of that. On a whim. YOI was pure and beautiful and you cannot stop me.**

 **Anyways, tl;dr: I hope you still enjoyed this (yes, all 3 or so of my readers, I am talking to YOU) even with the delay and I'll try to stick to my schedule from now on. Keep being cool and I'll see you in my ramblings under the next chapter.**  
 **Ta~**


	5. Chapter 4

**'Sup. It's been a while. I hope you enjoye this chapter, despite the wait, and I'll see you again for the next one! And remember: Experts agree that leaving nice comments under fanfictions lets you sleep better at night.~**

* * *

 ****

„I'm Jazz, by the way. Danny's sister."  
Startled, the pair ceased their arguing and turned towards Jasmine, who had so unexpectedly appeared at the door and was currently smiling at them, waiting for Danny to introduce their guest to her.

Danny was torn. He had lied to Jazz so often in the past and it hadn't been that long yet since he'd come clear to her about his secret, so he didn't want to start deceiving her again. But then again, this probably shouldn't be his call to make alone since this time it wasn't his life this was about.  
He could see that Vlad was observing him, which was probably the reason the guy hadn't said anything himself so far.  
„Uh...Did I say something wrong?", Jazz asked, uncertain, her smile having all but faded.  
Danny shot Vlad a pleading glance and the other seemed to be be able to read his thoughts completely, because he just shrugged, crossed his arms, and mockingly said:  
„Oh, please, do go on, tell her. Wouldn't want to keep secrets from your dear sister, now, would we. It will probably save us all a lot of trouble in the future if she knows."

Now Jazz was just confused. „Tell me what? What's going on, Danny?"  
He hesitatetd. „Uh...promise you won't flip?"  
Jazz raised an eyebrow. „Try me."  
Danny sighed defeatedly. „You better come in, I don't wanna discuss this with the door open."  
His sister entered the room properly and closed the door behind her, then turned to him again, obviously waiting for an explanation. And Danny explained...

.  
.

Jazz listened calmly until he had finished, sometimes nodding or or motioning with her hands to encourage him to keep going. She never interrupted him.  
In the meantime, Vlad hat sat down on the bed and had begun reading a book he had produced out of one of his bags, as though none of this concerned him in any way. What an ass.  
Danny finished, and Jazz still didn't say anything. That was unusual.  
He frowned, becoming increasingly worried.  
„Uh...you okay?"

Still without saying a word, Jazz turned around, opened the door, checked if someone was out in front of the room, closed the door again, then walked back to a very confused Danny and took a deep breath. Before Danny could get out another word, she started:  
„What the _hell_ were you thinking?! No, don't answer that. Clearly, you weren't thinking at all! Why on _earth_ would you think it a good idea to bring _Him_ into our house, of all people?" She took the finger she had jut used to prod him in the chest with to emphasize her words and pointed it accusatorily at Vlad. Then she narrowed her eyes and fully turned towards the man.

„Or was it you? Are you currently controlling my brother with another of your stupid inventions? What are you up to, you-"  
Vlad did not even bother to look up from his book as he interrupted her. „I assure you, had I any means of exerting control over anybody's thoughts I would use such power to do something useful, rather than move into this tiny dumpster you call a 'home'."

Danny, who had until now been trying to find the proper words to calm his sister down, furrowed his brows.  
„Careful, Vlad. Remember, you can always choose to sleep out on the street instead."  
He put a hand on Jazz shoulder.  
„Come on, Jazz, I know it's not ideal, but Clockwork would't have asked if it wasn't important. Him intervening in things like this is a huge deal. And we know we can trust him...even if the guy sure does love holding back crucial information."  
Jazz still did not look entirely convinced, so Danny went on.  
„Come on, it'll be fine. Besides,...", and here he grinned at her, „the condition for him staying is that he has to play by _our_ rules this time."

The look of doubt slowly anished from her face as she processed his words and he could tell she had a hard time resisting the urge to grin back at him.  
„Oh. _Oooh._ I see... Well, if that's the case everything should be perfectly in order for the time being, shouldn't it?"  
They both turned towards Vlad again, each one hand on the hip, looking down at him mischeviously.  
Vlad showed no apparent reaction but he was staring at his book _really_ hard. His eyes weren't moving.

Satisfied, Jazz turned towards Danny again.  
„I want you to know that I am still not entirely convinced but I guess it wouldn't hurt keeping it as it is for the time being, so I won't object and will also not tell anyone."  
„Thanks, Jazz, that really means a l-" She interrupted him.  
„I am not finished yet. I won't tell anyone about it, but I want _you_ to at least tell Sam and Tucker. They won't be happy but they deserve to know." Danny nodded. He would have done that without her telling him.  
His sister continued: „ _And_ if I smell anything fishy about this, or if it's getting dangerous, then we're out and he is on his own. And no, before you ask, I won't let you have any say in this. You are not risking your life because of him, no matter what Clockwork has to say about it. Got it?"  
He smiled. „Got it. Thanks, Jazz, you're the best."  
She smiled as well. „Oh, I know."

She went to leave but before opening the door, without turning she said „I'll be keeping an eye on you Masters", then she slipped out of the room and Danny and Vlad were alone again.

Vlad put down his book. „Why, wasn't this _nice._ And you honestly intend on telling your little friends about it as well?"

But Danny had withstood the urge to respond angrily to one of his jabs all day and he sure as hell wouldn't cave in now.  
„Yes, Vlad, it _was_ nice, because, lucky for you, Jazz is great. And I know friendship must be a very hard concept for someone like you to grasp, but honesty is important there, so yeah, I totally am gonna tell my 'little friends'. And you better hope they are as okay with this as Jazz is."  
He moved towards the door as well, before Vlad could think of anything else he wanted to say.  
„I'll let you get settled in now. We eat at 6. Oh, and I'll make sure I'll get you that list I promised to do." He left and closed the door, but then suddenly popped his head back in again.  
„Before i forget: make sure you prepare yourself for the real horror." He grinned.  
„You're going back to school, my dude." The door gave a small click as it fell into the lock behind him


End file.
